Aroma’s Scrumptious Summer

We waited and we waited, but the sunshine found us all eventually, didn’t it? And whether you’re relishing in all the footie goodness of late or are erring on the side of a conscientious objector, team spirit’s definitely at a high right now.

It’s definitely the case in Aroma! From training up newbies to making sure our bevy of beverages is eye-level thanks to some awesome new shelves, we’ve been enjoying making everything that little bit better. And how weird is adulthood, when new shelves suddenly become exciting? We’ll be hoarding tupperware next.

Of course, part of the joy of adulthood is starting a family of your own. You may have already heard Mercedes’ big news (we’ll give you a clue… it rhymes with ‘megnant’), but this Saturday we’re going a step further with our Momma Morning Meetup. With the help of Rebecca Grant and her own drive to be a healthy happy supermum, this event, and the free coffee it provides (just saying), gives you the chance to connect with like-minded mummies and get tips for your own proud parental journey.

Will and Teal, custodians of our cake-laden counter kingdom and drinks den.

While Aroma’s counter bulges with plenty, rather like the dearly departed David Bowie as the Goblin King in Labyrinth, the keen eyed among you will likely notice tickets for sale for our upcoming wine tasting and canapes event. These popular gatherings see us welcoming Antoine, professional sommelier, as he helps us pair nibbles and tipples in the most sophisticated of settings. Give your summer a touch of class!

We’re also hosting our famous and beloved Gin Club once again on 14th July too, and getting in some specialist gins – often exclusive to us in all the Fine City – to make it a night to remember. You guys know the drill. Glad rags, gorgeous company, superb G&T options. Dee-flippin’-licious!

As always, we’re ready, willing and thrilled to be hosting any and all of your lovely events too. and get involved with us Aromans! Whether it’s philosophy and business debates with Tom, the finer points of putting family first with Mercedes, cheeky art antics with Teal or watching Will box, there’s always something going on in Aroma. Get stuck in!

It says Pro-Box on his shorts. That’s how you know he’s a professional!

Big It Up for Aromans Boxing!

Bish bash bosh! We’re a peaceful lot here at Aroma, but when it’s for a good cause or just to keep fit, we’re not above a few friendly fisticuffs. Here in Norwich the Tower Fitness Corporate Boxing matches saw both Will and Mercedes spending weeks training up in advance of taking to the ring — did you catch their recent bout?

Although it’s not for the faint-hearted, we were lucky enough to be in expert hands (or indeed gloves) all along the way. This training has helped us stay energised and on form, even while keeping you lovely lot well tended to with our coffees and cocktails.

Both Will and Mercedes gave it their all after weeks of training, with a full and ripe profusion of sweat and effort poured into every punch they threw on the big night.

And our very own Will only went ahead and won, didn’t he?!

He’s been high on the win ever since, but Mercedes is pretty chuffed with herself too. Her entire boxing efforts were done to raise money for the brilliant Back Up charity, who help those of us who’ve experienced spinal cord injuries in our lifetimes — as well as those closest to those people.

If you haven’t already, sling Mercedes a cheeky few quid on her JustGiving page for her courage and conviction — and if you missed the big fight, don’t worry! Chances are these champs will rise again soon…

Half Price Cocktails Are Go!

Sweet Jiminy Cricket, have you seen the lovely lit-up piano bar gracing our fantastic and revamped upstairs bar area? It’s the handiwork of our dear and talented Chris, Mercedes’ fella and second most handsome bloke she knows (after the gorgeous puppy Sherlock, obvs).

We’ve been celebrating our new bar in style with half price cocktails, shaken and stirred for your sipping pleasure as we get our reinvigorated cocktail menu on the go.

Sip sip, friends.

Our nearest and dearest threw on their finest gladrags to join us in experiencing our new cocktails menu with a cheeky 50% off, from the stylish Old Fashioned to the classic tropical Mai Tai and the always-popular Elderflower Collins. Add house specials like the Naked Busker to the mix and you’re looking at a brilliant selection at some pretty tasty prices.

The shenanigans were photographed here by Chris by the way, because he’s a man of many talents indeed!

It’s been fantastic getting back to doing what we love and lighting up your evenings, although if you’re sad you missed out on half price cocktails with us, don’t worry! There’s another chance to get 50% off, especially if you book a table for this coming weekend for you and yours.

We’re pretty proud of our classy new menu. Picked up yours yet?

At a loss for the weekend? Heck, even if you’ve already made plans, rethink your venue options and get down to Aroma! We’ve got half price cocktails going on once more with feeling for the evenings of 23rd and 24th February only. Settle in with us and sip on the finest we can shake up for you, and maybe even get a head start on our Wine Tasting night in March while you’re at it.

Looking forward to seeing you!

A Little Bit of Rusty Love

It’s Valentine’s Day Eve! Goodness gracious. Throughout the land, people scurry hither and thither to find the ideal trinkets to bestow upon their beaus. Whether you think it’s the best thing since particularly crusty sliced bread or a cynical corporate cash grab, there’s no denying that a day about the allure of love should always be celebrated in some way, shape or form. And if you’re single? Pfff – don’t worry! There’s always Singles Day to feel smug about. They do that worldwide now, you know.

Anyway, we’re here to give a massive thank you to Donnie Rust, Jerome Smith and the team at The Lost Executives, who recently put out a fantastic write-up about us. Flattering and humbling in equal measure!

Donnie Rust. Sharp as a tack and twice as shiny.

However, we’re also here to say that those of you with a fondness for naughty occult literature will be thrilled to know that Donnie will be making time for us on Thursday 15th February to read excerpts and sign copies of his fantastic new book, the title of which we… well… see for yourself. Not for kiddie-winks, this, but seethingly naughty fun for the rest of us.

Make sure to get involved!

New Bar Excitement!

Valentine’s Day might be just around the corner, but we’ve got plenty else to spread the love with!

The new year’s already off to a fantastic start for us at Aroma, and as always, it’s inspiring us to push ourselves and give it our best. That doesn’t just apply to our personal lives – Tom learning languages and Will and Mercedes taking boxing classes, anyone? – but also to the coffee and treats we’re getting you stuck into day by day

Who could say no?

We’ve also been getting our gladrags on for our wine tasting and canapes sessions, which are helping set the mood for our grand reopening of our revamped cocktail bar this month.

If you missed this classy evening of tipples, helped along by the talented sommelier Antoin, don’t worry! It proved so popular we’re doing another on 1st March. See in springtime with a suitably fruit vintage, and we’ll sort out the perfect canape to put with it.

A resplendent crowd of guests as always!

As for our big bar reopening dates, well… take your pick! You’ll find 16th February, as well as 23rd and 24th February, ready to wow you with some of the finest cocktails we can concoct.

We’ve got high hopes for 2018 as it continues, and we hope you’ll join us as we get the ball rolling! And even if not, can we show you Mercedes and Chris’s puppy Sherlock?

Because he’s the most handsome hound in the history of the world ever. Fond of the odd gourmet burger too!

 

 

New Year, New Start, New Chances!

We all agree that 2017 rushed by in a flash, but look at this! No sooner have we put our work boots back on, we’re a blimmin’ week into 2018 already! What’s that about?

We had a great time welcoming you all into the new year and helping you celebrate the festive season, but now that it’s back to business as usual, we wanted to wish our friends and customers all the best in this exciting, fresh beginning.

Whether you’ve blown your resolutions already, or you’re just using this time to plan out the coming 12 months, we’re hoping there’s plenty of good times ahead for us all. Aroma’s currently using January to plan a revamped upstairs bar experience, which we’ll be ready to talk about next month… and part of that is being planned out by our latest business partner!

We first started Aroma nearly four years ago with some fantastic backing, but as the business has grown and changed, we’ve had the opportunity to welcome a new business partner to our midst. Thing is, it’s likely you already know who our mystery benefactor is…

If you’ve been in recently — and of course you have, you’re lovely like that — you might have seen our sleek rockstar barista Will with even more of a twinkle in his eye than usual.

That’s because he’s the new business partner at Aroma, making our coffee shop cocktail bar extravaganza all the better! We recently toasted to our shared success — Aroma is now Will’s, Tom’s and Mercedes’ enterprise, and there’s plenty more planning to do.

Don’t worry though — it’s nothing fusty and businesslike on your side. In fact, it’s only going to help us grow, improve and continue being one of the best independent bar cafes Norwich can offer!

It’s an ambition we hope to reach with your support and help, so make sure your 2018 is an Aroman one. And stay tuned — like we said, big news for our upstairs bar now Will’s here to add his spice to things…!

It’s Christmas Eve Eve!

How blimmin’ fast has this month gone?!

It’s pretty far away from the infinity December used to feel like when you were a kid. Either way though, we can’t help but still get excited about Christmas at Aroma, no matter how frenzied the season may get. It’s a fine time for free mulled wines and mince pies, as we’ve been cheerfully handing you on select Christmas evenings. It’s also a fine time for the snowman latte art to come back into style…

 

Loves a cheeky snowman, does our Teal…

We’re excited for this evening — 23rd December, the veritable night before the night before Christmas. As is rapidly becoming our tradition, we’ve gathered our nearest and dearest for a cosy night in at Aroma. There’ll be snacks, Christmas films, pyjamas and silly jumpers aplenty, and we think it’s a wondrous way to wind down the year. And what a year it’s been!

As a business, as people and as a community we’ve grown so much, and none of it’s been possible without you. Big thanks to all of you who come in day by day making us laugh, making us think and making us make you some of the best coffee around!

But ho ho hold the phone there, friends, because we’ve got a quick update for you regarding our Christmas opening hours. We’re not about to leave you entirely out in the cold during the winter break, so here’s a quick rundown of what to expect in the next few days.

• Christmas Eve: Closed for a Private Party (of the Mercedes’ Fiance Chris’s Birthday Variety)
• Christmas Day: Closed — much as we know you wish you could come see us…
• Boxing Day: Closed. Possibly watching terrible telly.
• 27th December – 30th December: Open 8:30AM to 2PM for you lovely lot!
• New Years’ Eve: Closed.
• New Year’s Day: Closed
• 2nd January onwards: Normal service resumes! Our doors are open to you from 7:30AM to 5PM every weekday.

In the meantime, we’re wishing you and your loved ones all the best for a much deserved break this festive season. We’re already excited about the year to come, and we can’t wait to share the stories of 2018 with you — through this blog, our social media and face to face.

Happy Christmas y’all!

 

Ho-Ho-Hot DAMN Are We Ready For Christmas!

Did you see those first tantalising flakes of snow sprinkle over Norwich like grated cheese on one of Will’s soups the other day?!

Massive excitement is the order of the day at Aroma, as we reflect on a sensational November. We’re happy to say the colder weather and longer nights did nothing to dampen your fun, and from private parties and black and red birthday shindigs to our own celebrations of close friends aplenty, there’s been a fantastic upbeat feel to things recently.

“I MADE THIS FOR YOOOOOU!!!”

We’ve been super busy prepping plenty of surprises for the coming year, including our tickets-only Wine Tasting & Food Pairing, a first for 2018 come February.

But we’ve also kept the love going for our fabulous community. We said happy birthday to Tony, our writer in attendance, as well as Zsolt, our favourite Hungarian (don’t tell Erno Rubik, inventor of Tom’s favourite toy).

We also marked the occasion of the esteemed Guy Wilkinson’s ‘Meditation’ photography collection, and even dropped round to deliver some goodies to our injured buddy Roger. Whew!

Yet as we saw, and as Mercedes got way too excited about, November rounded off with flurries of snow, like a tingly promise of what’s to come…

If November was enriched by celebration, December is of course the month for even more party spirit… with a few party spirits, if you know what we mean. Christmas bookings are taking off, but if you and your company have left it last minute, relax. There’s still a little time and plenty of room for you and yours, if you’re ready to book with us.

It’s the season of giving too, and so giving we indeed are! How does free mulled wine and mince pies sound?

That’s right, you lick your lips and rub your belly. We know what you like!

Our mulled wine and mince pies sessions fall on the 8th, 15th, 21st and 22nd December, between 5PM and 7PM. Proper tasty and deliciously warming!

Of course, we’re also welcoming new art and creativity to our floors in December. The esteemed and effusive Volta poetry movement, with its established performers and its available open-mic slots, is coming to Aroma for the first time on 14th December. While we’ve hosted poetry nights of our own before, we’re especially excited to see what this much beloved event can bring. Join us!

Christmas is also board games season, although you can leave those misty memories of angry Monopoly in the dust where they belong. Our Christmas board games night promises a much more giggly and tipsy affair, with a mix of classics and new modern favourites. If you’re not too fussed on making the Naughty List you can also try your hands at the more racy games making an appearance too…

Of course, the main event is Christmas itself, and after last year’s popular pyjama party, replete with drinks and Christmas films on the projector, we’re going bigger and better this year.

Confirm your attendance with us, and you’ll be part of our Secret Santa. Show up in either an ugly Christmas jumper or the festive jim-jams of your choice, and be a good sport and bring a little something for our festive buffet. We’ll provide the good times, good drinks and good company… we’re looking forward to seeing you! Will you be joining us this Christmas?

Halloween Done – Now for November!

Whew! It’s been a pretty action-packed end of October for Aroma, but we wanted to take a minute to highlight some of the events and accomplishments that have made us particularly proud!

Firstly, we’re delighted in updating those who haven’t already heard… that Aroma has won Norwich Cocktail Week 2017! The lovely folks responsible were kind enough to highlight not just our cocktail savvy, but also our friendly ambiance and plucky staff… all things of which we’re supremely proud.

Teal and Will show us how it’s done

Of course, we’d never have made it without the landslide votes we received from our beloved customers, so a massive thank you and shout out to you all!

We were fortunate enough to win a big old boatload of Bullards Gin to celebrate, and we shared our appreciation by offering free cocktails with lashings of the good stuff to those who booked tables with us on Friday 27th October. With live music in tow, it made for a great event!

Will was so amazed he had to go sit in the corner on Candy Crush just to calm down.

Of course, these festivities were to mark Norwich Cocktail Week, but we also had a sensational Halloween. Taking our cues from the minds of C S Lewis, Walt Disney and Tim Burton, we put together a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party complete with teapots full of cocktails and a bunch more themed after the Seven Deadly Sins.

We were joined by friends in finest costume, and settled in for some live music, together with a birthday booking that made for an even more sensational evening of candlelight and camaraderie, out of the cold night.

We’re happy and humbled at how much the birthday girl and her entourage enjoyed their time with us in our little one-night Wonderland, to say nothing of the guests we embraced in our melting pot of teapots and top hats. “It was the absolute highlight of our night!” Hannah told us. “We’re going to make it our yearly tradition provided you promise to keep it going! We had so much fun!”

Guess we’re doing this next year then…!

Will How and Will Allen of The Heartbreak Club provided some sensational acoustic tuneage to complement proceedings!

We’ve got plenty more events lined up as November sets sail, but rest assured that if you’ve got a birthday, a stag gathering, a hen do or a leaving party planned, we might just be the venue for you. We’re always happy to welcome you in!

Happy Halloween from Aroma!

Secrets Revealed!

That Salted Caramel Espresso Martini!

Our Norwich Cocktail Week special went down a storm last week. We shook so many, my triceps actually ache. Whilst mixing and stirring and shaking, I found myself looking up into the alluring eyes of interested customers, looming over and trying to get a sneak peek of our secret recipes! Aha! Wouldn’t you just love to know?!

Well what the heck, we’re no Malteser and as my four year old nephew keeps reminding me —  sharing is caring!

Here’s what you’ll need:

Wilkins Salted Caramel Sauce (1 large bar spoon, more for garnish)

Aroma Guatamala Double Espresso (must be fresh and hot, 50ml)

Kahlua Coffee Liqueur (1shot, 25ml)

A standard, unflavoured vodka (1shot, 25ml)

Method to our madness: pre-chill your martini glass with ice and water. When the sides are frosty, chuck out the ice and dab dab dab any excess water with a napkin. In a cocktail shaker, combine the hot espresso with the heaped bar spoon of salted caramel. Stir until dissolved.

Add the Kahlua and the vodka, then fill with ice and shake, shake, shake. Seriously… if you don’t shake vigorously enough, your cocktail wont foam and the texture is a big part of this cocktail!

Double strain into your martini glass. That’s DOUBLE strain… meaning you need to run the cocktail through not only the strainer holes in your shaker (or hawthorn, if using Bostons), as well as through a fine strainer. At home, a simple kitchen sieve will do the trick. Use a knife to spread salted caramel sauce around the rim of the glass and finish off with some coffee beans for garnish (an even number of coffee beans are un-lucky, so stick to three!*).

If you try to use anything other than espresso with a decent crema, your cocktail will still be tasty, but your texture and aesthetic will not be the same. We’re lucky to have a beast of a coffee machine in Aroma and baristas with the know-how. But if you have an espresso machine at home, you should be able to re-create this cocktail. Come pick our brains, we give tips freely!

*The three beans originates from the traditional garnish for sambuca called ‘con la mosca’, meaning ‘with the fly’. They represent health, wealth and happiness.

It may not be the healthiest version of the classic espresso martini, and at £8 you’ve got the have the wealth. But it’s gonna put a massive smile on your face!

– Cocktail Maestro Mercedes